An 84-run third-wicket partnership between Gobind Podder and Biplab Samantray delayed the inevitable for Odisha against Delhi on the third day of their Ranji Trophy match at the Ferozeshah Kotla on Sunday.

But the perseverance of Delhi bowlers ensured they were on the verge of getting back in the Group B reckoning with a victory, having lost to Uttar Pradesh in their opener.

Odisha went to stumps at 229 for six, a lead of just 41 runs, with Natraj Behera (35) and Deepak Behera (4) at the crease, having batted all day on a dead wicket.

Odisha's Gobind Podder showed great defence.Delhi bowlers started the day on an aggressive note as Pawan Suyal sent Paresh Patel (6) back to the pavilion even before he could add to his overnight score.

But the early burst of quality fast bowling soon died a natural death as the bowlers found little help from the wicket. Not getting an inch of motivation from the wicket, the bowlers' shoulders drooped and ultimately, all they managed to do was play the waiting game.

Sumit Narwal, who was also impressive in the opening match in Ghaziabad, got the second wicket of the day when he trapped Abhilash Mallick (26) plumb in front, thanks to the ball keeping even lower than usual.

But Mallick's ouster bought together the pair of Podder and Samantray, and it was the start of a long day on the field for the home team.

Patience was the key for both the batsmen and the bowlers. But the Odisha batsmen, having flopped miserably in the first innings, broke the backs of the Delhi bowlers with their copybook defence and their ability to present the dead bat.

And yet, the bowlers continued to steam in all day, keeping the ball in the right areas and knowing well that one mistake committed by the batsmen was enough to get them a wicket.

Podder eventually gave Narwal a chance for a return catch - when he was batting on 85 - but the pacer failed to grasp it.

But, just two deliveries later, Podder returned to the pavilion, bowled by a peach of a delivery that pitched on middle and held its line to uproot the middle stump.

Samantray continued consolidating with skipper Behera, at a very slow pace, and such was the lifelessness of the track that skipper Shikhar Dhawan finally brought himself on to bowl his part-time off-spinners.

While all the bowlers bowled their hearts out, left-arm spinner Vikas Mishra's performance was lacklustre to say the least. He kept bowling half trackers, rather than inviting the batsmen to play the drive with fielders around the bat.

Speaking after the day's play, Narwal - who was the pick of the bowlers with three wickets - said the wicket forced him to stick to the basics, and he reaped the benefits of that strategy.

"On a lively wicket, you try a lot of variation and at times lose out. But on a dead wicket like this one, all you have to do is stick to one line and wait for the batsmen to lose patience and the wicket," he said.